--- title: "Massachusetts Final Paycheck Law: Due Same Day If Fired" description: "Massachusetts final paycheck: due same day after a firing, next payday after a quit. Unused vacation payout and dated examples." url: "https://mcc-solutionsnj.com/bookkeeping/final-paycheck-laws-massachusetts" --- Final pay · Massachusetts # Massachusetts final paycheck law When Massachusetts says a departing employee must be paid, what changes between a firing and a quit, and what Massachusetts's official pages say about unused vacation, commissions and late pay. [![Intuit ProAdvisor Gold tier badge](/img/credentials/intuit-proadvisor-gold.png)](https://proadvisor.intuit.com/app/accountant/search?searchId=matthew-coleman77)Gold tier in Intuit's ProAdvisor program. [See my Intuit listing](https://proadvisor.intuit.com/app/accountant/search?searchId=matthew-coleman77) Want this tracked every month? Wrenfold keeps your budget on your own device. [See Wrenfold](/personal-finance) **Short answer.** Fired or laid off: In full on the day of discharge. Quit: On the next regular payday. ## Massachusetts final pay at a glance Fired or laid off In full on the day of discharge. Quit On the next regular payday. Law M.G.L. c. 149, 148 Agency Massachusetts Attorney General's Fair Labor Division ## In Massachusetts's words **Fired or laid off** Hiring in another state? [Employer registration in Massachusetts, done for you](/bookkeeping/out-of-state-employer-registration), or [a free bookkeeping health check](/bookkeeping/health-check). "shall be paid in full on the day of his discharge" **Quitting** "you must be paid on the next regular payday" ## Example with dates Suppose a Massachusetts employee's last day is Sunday, November 8, 2026 and the weekly payroll's next payday is Saturday, November 14, 2026. The final check would be due: - **Fired or laid off:** Sunday, November 8, 2026 - **Quit:** Saturday, November 14, 2026 Your own dates: [open the calculator set to Massachusetts](/bookkeeping/final-paycheck-due-date-calculator?state=ma). ## Unused vacation in Massachusetts Earned vacation pay is listed among wages in the Attorney General's guide to workplace rights. ## Massachusetts commissions at separation Commissions are listed among wages in the Attorney General's guide to workplace rights. ## If a Massachusetts final paycheck is late M.G.L. c. 149, 150 provides mandatory triple damages for wage law violations, plus court costs and attorneys' fees. ## Worth knowing in Massachusetts Massachusetts is one of the few states where a firing means payment the same day, on the last day of work. **Not stated on the Massachusetts pages we read:** how the check is delivered. ## Official Massachusetts sources - [Mass.gov: Massachusetts law about employment termination](https://www.mass.gov/info-details/massachusetts-law-about-employment-termination) (checked November 2026) - [Mass.gov: Massachusetts law about wages](https://www.mass.gov/info-details/massachusetts-law-about-wages) (checked November 2026) - [Massachusetts AG: Guide to Workplace Rights and Responsibilities](https://www.mass.gov/files/documents/2017/12/11/wagehour-brochure-2016-eng%20120717.pdf) (checked November 2026) Massachusetts rules as published on the pages above, checked November 2026. General information, not legal advice; we are not lawyers. A union contract or written agreement can change the timing. ## Massachusetts final paycheck questions **How soon is a final paycheck due after a firing in Massachusetts?** In full on the day of discharge. Massachusetts Attorney General's Fair Labor Division puts it as "shall be paid in full on the day of his discharge." **When does an employee who quits in Massachusetts get the last check?** On the next regular payday. Notice doesn't change it on the page we checked. **Is unused vacation paid out at the end of a job in Massachusetts?** Earned vacation pay is listed among wages in the Attorney General's guide to workplace rights. **What about commissions in a Massachusetts final paycheck?** Commissions are listed among wages in the Attorney General's guide to workplace rights. **What does Massachusetts law say about a late final paycheck?** M.G.L. c. 149, 150 provides mandatory triple damages for wage law violations, plus court costs and attorneys' fees. All states: [final paycheck laws by state](/bookkeeping/final-paycheck-laws-by-state) · [Iowa](/bookkeeping/final-paycheck-laws-iowa) · [Minnesota](/bookkeeping/final-paycheck-laws-minnesota) Letting someone go in Massachusetts? ## Employee Separation Checklist Kit A state picker workbook that puts Massachusetts's deadline on a date, a separation checklist, a final pay worksheet and an exit paperwork log, as Word files and PDFs. 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